Safeguarding Belize’s forests through responsible harvesting, restoration, and sustainable forest management
By Jose Luis Cruz: A few days ago, I drove past another building under construction.
Like many construction sites, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of thin poles stood beneath the concrete slab, quietly holding its weight while it hardened. Most of us wouldn’t look twice. We simply call them bush sticks.
But as I looked at them, I couldn’t help asking myself:
Why do we call them bush sticks, aren’t these future trees?
That simple thought changes everything.
For generations, these “bush sticks” have been used as temporary supports for concrete roofs. There is nothing inherently wrong with using support, they are an essential part of construction. The problem is not the purpose. The problem is the source.
Many of these so-called bush sticks are young trees harvested long before they have reached maturity.
In sustainable forest management, a tree is generally considered ready for harvesting only when it reaches a commercial size, often around 20 inches in diameter. Anything smaller is more than just a small tree, it is tomorrow’s forest, tomorrow’s timber supply, tomorrow’s carbon storage, and tomorrow’s habitat for wildlife.
Every young tree removed today is one less mature tree that could have supported Belize’s economy decades from now.
When we purchase bush sticks, we rarely stop to ask:
- Where were they cut?
- Were they harvested legally?
- How old were those trees?
- What would their value have been if they had been allowed to mature?
These are uncomfortable questions, but they are important ones.
Belize’s forests are renewable, but only if we allow them the time they need to regenerate. When young trees are repeatedly harvested before reaching maturity, the forest slowly loses its ability to replace itself. Over time, this leads to degradation, declining timber stocks, reduced biodiversity, and weaker forests that are less resilient to climate change.
The Belize Forest Department introduced a moratorium on December 1, 2025 for the issuance of short-term timber licenses and petty permits. The move is designed to protect the country’s forests from depletion and unsustainable harvesting. While, the policy was controversial because it affected livelihoods and access to timber, the measure became necessary due to mounting evidence of declining forest stocks.
The moratorium is a positive conservation measure but it also sends a sobering message that in many areas, our forests have been harvested so heavily that extraordinary action became necessary. Healthy forests should not require emergency measures to protect what remains.
At the same time, Belize has embarked on the ambitious Greening Belize – One Million Trees initiative. Planting one million trees is a commendable investment in our future. Every seedling planted represents hope for healthier forests, cleaner air, greater biodiversity, and stronger resilience against climate change.
But imagine the contradiction if we carefully plant one million trees over several years while, every day, thousands of future trees are cut down for temporary construction support that may only be used for a few weeks before being discarded.
It is much easier, and much faster, to cut a young tree than it is to grow one.
Perhaps the conversation should not only be about planting more trees. Perhaps it should also be about protecting the ones that are already growing.
Fortunately, there are alternatives.
One promising solution is bamboo. Bamboo grows rapidly, is remarkably strong, can be harvested repeatedly without replanting, and is already used in many countries as scaffolding and temporary construction support. Developing a bamboo industry could reduce pressure on Belize’s natural forests while creating new business opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs willing to cultivate it as a renewable construction material.
This is not about stopping development.
It is about building responsibly.
Every tree standing in our forests today represents years, sometimes decades, of growth. Before we cut it, we should ask whether its highest value is to spend a few weeks supporting a concrete slab, or whether its greatest contribution lies in becoming part of a healthy forest, storing carbon, protecting wildlife, and eventually providing high-value timber through sustainable management.
The next time you drive past a construction site and see a forest of bush sticks beneath a concrete roof, pause for just a moment.
You may not be looking at bush sticks.
You may be looking at the next generation of forests.
The post Bush sticks costing us future forests! appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Safeguarding Belize’s forests through responsible harvesting, restoration, and sustainable forest management By Jose Luis Cruz: A few days ago, I drove past another building under construction. Like many construction sites, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of thin poles stood beneath the concrete slab, quietly holding its weight while it hardened. Most of us wouldn’t look twice. We
The post Bush sticks costing us future forests! appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
